I am as happy to have taken a chance on this as I was disappointed by the chance I took on X-Force. Like X-Force, Wolverine is the kind of book I normally don't like; dead-eyed, nihilistic bloodletting and disregard for human life is not what I sign on for on Wednesdays, generally speaking. Still, a good writer is a good writer, and I have heard Jason Aaron's name so much lately that I assume his primary mode of transportation these days is the shoulders of his chanting fans, so I warily parted with my $3.

What a treat! The first few pages seemed to confirm my worst fears about the book, only to pull the rug out from under me with a twist at the end that was both magically delicious and completely unexpected. (I mean, how brilliant is that? You know someone is hunting you, so you disguise yourself as that guy and ruin his rep before he gets to town? Even knowing it was a Mystique story, I never would have guessed.) I had to put down the comic and applaud. This has all the makings of one of the best cat-and-mouse games to grace the comics in many moons. Of course, I may now be rooting for the bad guy.

I like Mr. Garney as well, but he is responsible for my only complaint about the book: if it's 1921 Mexico, why is Mystique dressed like she's in a Guess Jeans ad? Oh God, did Mystique invent fashion? She's more diabolical than I ever imagined.